This Yellow Sallie is technically called
Cultus tostonus, but when
the females drop to the water to lay their eggs. Trout just call them
dinner.

A few weeks ago I was sitting in camp on the Deschutes River.
The early June sun had finally decided to show itself and a variety
of insects responded to the warmth with the same enthusiasm I felt.
It can be hard to get a close look at the different insect adults
whizzing by in the breeze - usually more of a gale on the Deschutes
- but if you tent camp you know that tents attract bugs. Turns
out my tent is often where I look for what’s hatching on the river.
On this trip I found caddis adults crawling around under my rain fly
and another bug that I was particularly interested in, the little
yellow stones. In fact they seemed to think my tent fly was
the perfect spot for mating.

Starting in mid June and continuing well into
August little yellow stones take to the air to lay their eggs.
Females ready to lay eggs often gather above the water and fall to
the river like tiny yellow leaves to release their eggs. Trout
find them much more appealing than leaves.

Yellow Sallies come in a variety of sizes and like other stonefly
species, the females are often larger than the
males.

These small delicate stoneflies are commonly called little
yellow stones, yellow sallies, or stripetails depending on who is
doing the calling. They belong to a diverse family of
stoneflies – Perlodidae – and most to a single genus, Isoperla,
though other genera also fall into this group. For example right
now the species Cultus tostonus is active on many Northwest
rivers like the Deschutes, Yakima, and northern California streams.
The genus Isoperla has the highest species diversity of any
genus of stoneflies with 57+ species currently known in North
America. Some species are widely distributed occurring across
most of the country, while others occur only in small regions.
Altogether the diversity of species is evenly spread across the
country with about 27 species in the east (Northeast to Southeast),
24 in the midwest, and 23 in the west (Rockies to the Pacific).
Suffice it to say a lot of species get called Yellow Sallies.

Fish on!!!

The great variety of species within this genus makes it
difficult to find a few defining traits that apply to all species.
The size of mature nymphs and adults ranges from 6-18 mm (1/4 to 3/4
inch) body length, with most species tending to the smaller end of
the range. Adults appear larger than they really are as their
wings normally extend past the tip of the abdomen; however, some
species exhibit greatly reduced wings, a trait common to a variety
of stonefly species. Color patterns, normally a poor character
to rely on, can be useful for recognizing little yellow stone
nymphs. Nearly all species show distinct dark and light
longitudinal stripes on top of the abdomen. In addition
Isoperla nymphs completely lack gills, and their tails are as
long as or longer than their abdomen.

Fast moving mountain
streams usually have large populations of Yellow Sallies.

Adult Isoperla often show the same longitudinal stripes
along the top of the abdomen as the nymphs, but not in all species.
The head and prothorax (thoracic segment directly behind the head)
also show distinct light and dark color patterns. Tails are
well developed, but not unusually long. While known as little
yellow stones, the color of adults ranges from light yellow
to medium brown. Overall, the pale to dark yellow color, light
and dark stripes on the abdomen, distinct light and dark color
patterns on the head and thorax, and lack of all gills or gill
remnants are the primary characteristics for recognizing species of
Isoperla. Cultus tostonus adults have a distinct
color pattern with the front two thirds of their abdomen
yellowish-brown and the last third a bright to dark orange.

The little nymphs of Yellow Sallies lack gills but show
distinctive dark strips on their thorax and abdomen.

One of the key identification features, namely the lack of
gills, strongly influences where and how these small stoneflies
live. Without gills nymphs must obtain oxygen by diffusion
directly through the exoskeleton. This normally occurs where
the exoskeleton is naturally thin, like the base of the legs.
Still, it is a rather inefficient approach to breathing, and to
compensate, species tend to prefer cold streams with high levels of
dissolved oxygen. Riffle areas also contain higher levels of
oxygen than slow quiet flowing reaches of a stream, and therefore
riffles tend to be the habitat of choice for most nymphs. The
need for cold water also results in a general trend of more abundant
populations in smaller higher elevation streams than in larger lower
elevation rivers. Some species, however, have adapted
specifically to large rivers.

Whether fishing nymphs or adults the majority of activity
for yellow stones will be around choppy riffles where there is
plenty of oxygen in the water.

Riffles provide a variety of niches and food choices for small
creatures like stonefly nymphs. Most little yellow stones will
be found around the base of cobble and large gravel where the
current is significantly diverted and slowed. These areas also
trap leaves and small pieces of wood, which provide both shelter and
the primary food for most Isoperla nymphs. Some species
have been found to be predacious, eating a variety of small insects
like chironomid or midge larvae. Even those species that are
herbivorous early in life often switch to a more meaty diet in their
last month of development as they put on a final growth spurt before
adult emergence.Mature nymphs normally find a large rock protruding above the
water upon which to climb out of the water for emergence into the
adult, or they crawl out of the water onto shoreline vegetation.
There have also been reports of some Isoperla emerging
directly in the surface film similar to mayfly nymphs. It is also
true that such reports have been widely disputed and I for one have
never observed this type of behavior. But neither have I seen all
the species of Isoperla emerge, and given the resistance of
insects to conform to one type of behavior I wouldn’t be at all
shocked if somewhere this happens.

Depending on the species and geographic location, emergence
may begin as early as May or as late as October. Peak
emergence activity typically occurs in June, July and August in most coldwater trout streams. Newly emerged adults hide on
shoreline vegetation. Mating takes place a few days after
emerging, also on the shoreline vegetation. Like other
stoneflies many male Isoperla adults attract mates by
“drumming” the tip of their abdomen against a suitable substrate.
Only virgin females respond, often with their own drum reply.
Don’t expect to be overwhelmed by the sound of drumming stoneflies
the next time you’re fishing along a stream during a good stonefly
hatch, however. You need the ears of a female stonefly to
easily pick up the frequency of these invertebrate percussionists.
After mating females remain on the vegetation a few days while their
eggs finish developing. At that point they take flight on some
pleasant summer afternoon and lay their eggs on the water’s surface.
The entire life cycle, from egg to adult, requires approximately one
year.

It’s easy to see why these
Little Yellow Stoneflies are called Yellow Sallies.

Fishing tactics for little yellow stones vary with time of
year and activity of nymphs or adults. The months following
adult egg laying activity are spent as eggs (3 or 4 weeks) and very
small immature nymphs, neither of which requires imitation by the
angler. Growth of nymphs continues slowly through the winter,
and then picks up dramatically in the spring. A month or two
before adults actually start emerging is a time when nymphs are
available to fish. However, even then these stonefly nymphs do
not drift in the current as readily as many other aquatic nymphs, so
they are not often important to the angler. The one time I
find the nymphs worth imitating is during the early stages of adult
emergence. The number of migrating nymphs peaks at this time,
and good numbers get washed off the bottom into the current where
feeding trout wait. Drifting a nymph pattern close to the
stream bottom at the tailouts of riffles or heads of pools can be
effective at such times.

My favorite, and I think most effective time to fish
imitations of little yellow stones, is when adults are active.
A simple dry fly works great when females are laying eggs. You
can adapt a number of standard patterns to this task: a yellow
sally, yellow renegade, or yellow elk hair caddis for example.
I also use a simple dry fly with a light yellow body, white CDC
wing, and light brown hackle. Fish the dries with a drag free
presentation where you see the adults laying eggs and fish rising to
them. I have also found a small yellow soft hackle effective.
This works great for adults that get trapped in the surface film.
Fish it dead drift in the surface or an inch or two below just like
you would a dry fly. Sometimes fish find these swamped adults more
enticing than those floating high on the surface.

The secret
to catching trout is to understand how they feed. Want to be a
better trout fisher? Sign up for this school! (Don't delay. There
are only two spots open):Deschutes River Trout School Featuring Mark Bachmann & Rick HafeleFor a look at Rick’s new online magazine (with Dave Hughes & Skip
Morris) called HookedNow !!!
Their June/July issue on “Fishing the Evening Rise” is now
available!

Yellow Sally FliesYellow
Sally Stoneflies have proven challenging to replicate with feathers
and fur. The reel flies rid low on the water with little movement
for much of the time. The real adult flies are nearly impossible to
se on the water because the ride so flat on the surface. I came up
with a couple of patterns that provided solutions for fishing Yellow
Sally hatches on flat water (Flint Stones). Unfortunately these
flies are in short supply as the manufacture didn't see fit to
continue production. The Hopper/Stone is a great dual purpose fly
that proves its worth during hatches of larger Yellow Sallies.
Trimming the hackle off the bottom of a small Yellow Stimulator can
be a great trick for many demanding situations. Idyl's
Parachute Yellow Sally is probably the best over-all pattern
available for the widest range of situations..

Flint's Stone,
Yellow Isoperla, FemaleThese little
bright yellow stoneflies hatch during June & July, as the Salmon
Flies are trailing off. Trout target females during egg laying.
This is a good fly to fish along the grass during the hot part
of the day. It is also very good in back eddies.

Idyl's Parachute Yellow SallyThis
pattern has the attraction of both being a realistic low
floater and yet is highly visible to the angler. When trout
get really picky, trim the parachute post to lower the
silhouette.

Stimulator, Yellow
This seems to be the most popular of the Stimulator patterns. It
is used as a golden or yellow stone or hopper imitator. It may
rank with the Royal Wulff as one of the all time most popular
searching flies.

August 15th, 2011, marks the date that Sage will begin shipping what will undoubtedly prove to be
the single biggest news in Modern Rod Design/Performance in memory. The All New
SAGE “ONE” Series is the FIRST precision casting instrument built to take
advantage of Sage's NEW GROUND BREAKING Konnetic Technology. Conceived/designed by
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“ONE” Rod offers a more fluid transmission of energy from the casters arm to the
fly . The eye sees the cast it wants to make and it is transfixed/translated to
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you more about this new Rod series: I’ve see every major Graphite rod intro
dating back to the early 1970’s (Fenwick HMG). To be sure there has been some
incredible graphite masterpieces form the Great Rod designers of the Modern
ERA-Don Green, Jimmy Green, Gary Loomis ,Steve Rajeff and over the last 20 years our own Jerry Siem. Now classics, such as Sage’s RP, RPL, SP, XP, SLT,
Z-AXIS. Loomis’s IMX and GLX,these rods redefined Performance from 1984 onward
providing Anglers worldwide with better and better tools. Angler’s are always inquiring how can it be better……our
motto has and continues to be if you can make it better DO IT ! My first
experience with New ONE Series started off with the venerable 590-4 ONE.
What absolutely floored me was the out of the gate TRACKING (Bullet
straight) aspect of the rod, UNBELIEVEABLE!! Line Speed you ask…How much do you want cause it’s here and coming at ya.
Imagine a Rod showcasing a 18%+ reduction in weight while providing state of
the art HIGH MODULUS in a never before seen Konnectic format. Ultra thin
diameter with virtually non visible ferrule construction. At Sage we drive
technology via a Modulus matrix involving connected elements providing
performance driven FISHING ADVANTAGES. This Rod is all about the graphite as
the graphite matrix is the fuel for the rocket…the New Sage ONE series. Test
drive” ONE” August 16 at: The Fly Fishing Shop…buckle up!22 Single Handed Models from 3 thru 10 weight.
George Cook/Sage Northwest Rep/2011

Do you long for the simplicity of the past, but with the advantages
of modern metal technology? Are you mature enough to know that trout
fishing doesn't involve monster drag pressures, quite the opposite?
Low inertial start-up to protect fragile tippets and hooks are much
more important. When choosing a trout reel, the basic criterias are
smooth and reliable. Both the Abel Trout Reels (T/R Series), and
Abel Creek Series are built with these necessary truths in mind.
Each series is available in the full range of dynamic/customizable
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configurations, and the Creek Series has both standard and large
arbor configurations. With these two series of reels all sizes of
freshwater rods from 0-weight to 7-weight. Custom aluminum handles are
available for both series. We have an extensive selection of all
sizes of Abel handles at our shop.

Abel Trout SeriesThis is my favorite trout reel series for trout fishing. I use (3)
T/R 2 Reels and (4) spools for a complete 5-weight trout fishing
system. These reels hold 5-weight lines and a minimum of 150-yards
of backing and have caught steelhead, trout to 12-pounds, shad and
bass. In every case these reels proved to be totally adequate and
reliable. The oldest reel has been in use since 1992.

Originally Designed in 1992, and reintroduced in 2008. Internal
adjustable pawl-click drag made from 303 heat treated stainless
steel is adjustable for incoming and outgoing tension. Standard
arbor with rim control configuration. These may be the most perfect
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fishing and enough line capacity for Alaskan rainbows. Pictured
above is a 19 year old TR/2 on a 5-weight rod. It offers large
diameter for fast line pick-up, 150-yard capacity and proven
reliability over many, many fishing trips. I own three TR/2 Reels
and four spools, & never been sorry I bought them. Unless otherwise
specified, all TR Reels and spools are shipped Black Coral color.

In the late 1800's English-made fly reels designed with click/pawl
drag systems gained world wide popularity because of their smooth
trouble free operation. This click/pawl system of regulating line
tension has an advantage of having very low inertial start-up, which
protects fine leader tippets from breakage. That is why Abel
incorporated this type of drag into the modern T/R Series of reels.

The Abel T/R Series are the reels that old English craftsmen would have
made if they had had the metal technology and machining tools to do so.
Abel T/R Series reels are made in ultra modern heavy duty, computer
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corrosion proof.

Abel T/R reels are the culmination of over two hundred years of incremental
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set...for me, my children, grand children, great grand children and
great great grand children to enjoy.

Abel Creek Series
Originally the Creek series was available only in the large arbor
configuration. Now it is available in both standard and large arbor
configuration to fit a wider variety of rod sizes.

Abel T/R-2 and Abel
Creek-2, both on 5-weight rods.

Abel Creek Reels are a traditional design with a very modern flavor.

These are modern
large-arbor trout reels with traditional values including an
adjustable click drag. The narrow frame coupled with large arbor
spool means fast line pick-up, fast retrieve and a classic, elegant
look. These reels have a very low inertial start-up to protect fine
tippets. The soft clicking sound is audible as the line goes in
or out. Optional Colors

2009 marks the 11th year Abel has made Abel Creek Reels.

Internally adjustable pawl click drag made from 303 heat
treated stainless steel is locked in place by two small hex cam
nuts and a spring retainer.

All Abel anodized
aluminum products are shipped "Black Coral" colorunless specified as different: However, Many Abel Products Are
Available In Exclusive Anodized ColorsNow you can customize
your Abel Product On-Line.Click the buttons below to add
colors to your Abel Products.

Abel Reels are
available in a number unique and distinctive color patterns. These
colors are not paint that can flake off or change color with age.
These colors are put into the metal through a chemical process
called anodizing. They are permanent and beautiful. Each Graphic and
Scenic reel is totally unique and no two are exactly the same. Each
is custom made. Allow four weeks for delivery.